It’s a family affair in the pumpkin patch at the Mitchell family’s horticulture venture west of Gingin with girls Darcie and Grace on hand to help parents Tom and Emma gather the last fruit from their annual pumpkin harvest.
What was originally a summer alternate crop now yields the farm’s primary income source after zealous quarantine regulations rendered their chinese cabbage export business to Taiwan untenable. Demonstrating the kind of flexibility necessary to make a living off the land nowadays, the Mitchells turned to their pumpkins to save the day – increasing production from the 8 hectares under cultivation to a whopping 150 tonne per year. The pumpkins are sold through Canning Vale markets, with some making their way to the Mt Claremont farmers market.
Plantings begin from seed in early October, after the dangers of frost have passed. Successive sowing, four weeks apart, allows them to even out distribution to the market over the four month season, as well as the workload.
Apart from a few backpackers in the height of summer, the family do all the work themselves, and that’s the way they intend to keep it. Being able to sustain the family without having to work off farm is a lifestyle choice for the couple who were married on the hilltop of the property where they have since built their family home.
The picturesque area offers more than just the outstanding views across the Moore River National park back to the scarp. Tom says the area was earmarked long ago by the Department of Agriculture as ideal for market gardening. The tall tuarts indicate an area among the sand dunes with a good level of water and minerals in the soil. Both Tom and Emma have agricultural backgrounds, but they have learnt their horticultural skills on the job.
“If our level of learning is indicated by the amount of mistakes we’ve made – then we’ve learned heaps” jokes Tom, who says they relied on the advice of neighbours and friends when they were establishing their orchard and market garden. Learning about soil health and pH was a major breakthrough.
“At first we assumed it was just sand, just hydroponics,” says Tom. “We took our pH from 6.5 to 8.1 in seven years.” They now soil test twice a year and leaf test four times a year, tailoring their fertiliser additions to suit, and are beginning to reap the rewards. Although the season is drawing to a close, pumpkins store well for up to six months – Tom reccommends a well ventilated shed – so now is the time to stock up if you’re a fan of a warm winter pumpkin soup. Fruit grown by the Mitchells is available locally at ‘Betty’s’ roadside stall on the Great Northern Hwy north of Bindoon.
